I put my iPod on shuffle through JN Howard's music yesterday. Between Unbreakable and The Village, I was just amazed and genuinely moved by the music. Especially The Village. How lyrical and lovely. Just gorgeous. I don't hear this kind of writing from him any more though Parts of his fare from 2013 harken back to it. For now, Hollywood doesn't believe these types of scores are marketable. Pity.

Did you hear his score for "Parkland"? Incredibly beautiful and moving music.

I'm astonished. If these composers can make full live orchestras sound this shitty then they possess skills beyond the ken of most mortals.

I can understand you saying that about someone like Randy Edelman, who regularly used synth overdubs on his strings for his unique sound, or combination composers like Zimmer or his band of merry men... but to say that about classically trained composers who are WELL KNOWN for going out of their way to use full orchestras, and mix their scores accordingly - like Joe Hisaishi, Korzeniowski, Desplat, Mark McKenzie, Carlo Siliotto et al - I'd argue that there's either something wrong with your speakers or your ears, because the live elements of those scores are so obvious they metaphorically smack you in the face.

Also, your comments in the last couple of posts seem to be less about the actual quality of the composition itself, and more to do with the fact that some composers have the audacity to use samples (would that every composer was given a music budget large enough to hire a 100-piece symphony orchestra!), or choose not to write a huge orchestral work for a film that might not require it (solo piano? Begone! Chamber sized ensemble? Not big enough for me!)

Sometimes I get the feeling that people hear what they want to hear in order to support a point.

The disctinction between your 'facts' and your 'opinions' isn't very clear. Please clarify.

The thing that makes this fun bantering even harder to find any true answers is the fact. Is it not an opinion on what one would call a good film score and that can be many different meanings. One will say film scores should not be melodic or tuneful but pieces of sound effects because that works better for a film then a connected melody. Others love and came to love film scores because of the strong melodic touch, the big theme that is often missing with top 40.One can take extreme viewpoints on what they feel is better or worse by the extreme viewpoints on what they think a film score should be.So where is the definitive answer. It is sought of like looking at crime statistics. Sometimes a hard thing to follow because different people may have different definitions on what a crime is.One can say the crime rate went down because you legalize something that was illegal before. Does that make people feel safer or live better lives.So I see it, unless you had a even playing field by all people what constitutes a good or bad score, how can one really begin to make a honest judgement on the quality of film scores from any year, decade or era?Too be honest if all scores were like Jerry Fielding I don't think I would have fell in love with film music. For somebody else if all scores were Henry Mancini or John Barry they would not have become a film music lover.

I don't know if film music is dead because I don't watch new films. I do know that, for me, the very idea of film music is dead. If, somehow, I chanced to hear a new film score I liked it wouldn't affect me or interest me in the way the old guys' music did. I'd see it as an anomaly rather than the norm.

Some people of my age range (40s) are concerned not to be like our parents who often switched off completely to new pop music or film stars at a certain age. I don't share that concern and I have certainly switched off to almost all popular culture, especially American films, rap music, Justin Beiber and even my beloved heavy metal.

The interest which remains for me is only in the survivors from an earlier age who are, alas, gradually dying off. All my favourite film and TV composers are now either dead or retired. Yes, the end of my interest in film music coincides exactly with the deaths of Jerry Goldsmith and Elmer Bernstein.

The same will happen to all the other branches of popular culture I enjoy once all the remaining luminaries are gone, or I am.

You are all just stating your own opinions.Yes,film music may not be what it was in the past.But that doesn't mean it's dead.There are still plenty of composers doing good work today.John Williams,James Horner,James Newton Howard,Alexandre Desplat,Danny Elfman,Randy Newman,and Thomas Newman come to mind.You naysayers are judging today's composers and scores by those of the past,and that's unfair.Movies are different today,and so are their scores.But scoring a film is not-the music must meet the film's needs and bring something to it.There are plenty of good scores today.And remember,not everyone will like every score.It's all a matter of personal taste.

You are all just stating your own opinions.Yes,film music may not be what it was in the past.But that doesn't mean it's dead.There are still plenty of composers doing good work today.John Williams,James Horner,James Newton Howard,Alexandre Desplat,Danny Elfman,Randy Newman,and Thomas Newman come to mind.You naysayers are judging today's composers and scores by those of the past,and that's unfair.Movies are different today,and so are their scores.But scoring a film is not-the music must meet the film's needs and bring something to it.There are plenty of good scores today.And remember,not everyone will like every score.It's all a matter of personal taste.

Well yes JEHANNUM is stating his opinion and he has every right to state his opinion, but unlike some other people who are here , he is making it very clear it's just his opinion, not something written in stone There are things in my life I have given up on that I used to do. God bless those who want to continue with these things. God bless people like me who don't care to spend my remaining time on earth doing these things. Whatever turns you on.

I like JEHANNUM comment I don't know if film music is dead or not because I don't listen to the new ones. That's honesty, there are so many idiots out there who say something is no good without even given the music or film a chance and there are plenty on this board who would qualify. I am not one of them. I will NEVER judge anything without have the decency of spending time examining the thing at hand. even then unless it is a moral issue I will most likely say to each one's own.